DAC Inspired Infants Cot

This is a project the design of was inspired by DACs posted Chest of Drawers.The use of turned leg posts was an eye catcher for me.I needed to build an Infants cot for my Grandchildren to sleep in when they came to stay so I set to work.

The Legs I had hidden away the result of a misguided vegetable shopping task when I returned with a armful of legs instead of any vegies!

The Legs

I routed them out on the shaper and apart from cutting them to length and inverting them that was all I did.

The frame

The frame came from a stash of recycled pallets I had, so upon inspection I deemed they would do the job if I plugged all the nail holes. The inserts in the sides and ends are Yellow Stringybark, the backing panels are ply, the legs are pine. the nail hole plugs are Meranti

So,Step 1. Drill out all the nail holes and plug them, I could have used pine off cuts but used some Meranti as a contrasting material.

Step 2 All went through the thicknesser.

Step 3 All pieces were cut to length this included spacers for the stiles.

Step 4. Biscuit jointed them all together using “0” biscuits and glued them up.

Step 5 Selected some Australian Gum Inserts cut them to size and routed out a rebate for them and a round over for the front.Step 6. Set to work and drum sanded all four pieces.

Step 7. Trued everything and ensured all were equal sizes.

Step 8. Did a dry fit up, all was good, so glued everything together and fitted a base.

Step 9. Filled all the gaps and sanded to finish.

Step 10. Applied a coat of sealer and let it dry.

Task Complete!

Well almost, after checking the requirements for baby/infants cots they have to allow ventilation to the sides and base so in went 8×22mm holes, 2 x on each end and 4 x in the base itself to prevent the possibility of CO2 build up.

The side and end panels are mitered at 45 degrees each, this is not visible as its hidden inside the leg recess.The legs have a 90 degree cut out, this was done with a router and the ends accurately squared up with a chisel for individual fits.The legs and sides/ends were then dry inserted into the leg recess aligned and checked for squareness then glued inI used Polyuetherene glue on the miter joint and the back of the panels which rest against the side of the legsChecked everything for alignment and applied 3 x ratchet clamps to hold everything in place and in alignment.There are no screws in the project apart from the removable base section.I did this as I was not sure the adding of them would provide any further strength.I thought of making it knock downable and using screws but went with a riigid design as it will fit in a standard door width no worries. The overall size is 1000mm x 600mm.

You may care to ask DAC how he attached the Chest of Drawers Legs as they may be different.

Very well done.Looks great.The advantage of a cot is that is can be made cozy and warm for the new baby and can fit easily beside the parent’s bed for the first few months of the baby’s life.There are many different styles of baby cots that you can choose from. The most important aspect to look into when purchasing one is the safety of the baby.